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Welcome to another Rainy Day Conversation around Greatheart’s Table. This time we welcome Dr. Hans Madueme, Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Covenant College, in Lookout Mountain, Georgia to help us explore the intersection between mental illness and the church. This is part one of a two part conversation. I hope you are able to take in both. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: For an explanation of the name and intention of these occasional interviews, read this, or listen to it here or here. Michael Emlet, Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications John Piper, Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship When you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

I’m Randy Greenwald and I’m a pastor. My job is to remind others that there is complete acceptance by the kindness of a merciful God. That those who belong to Christ have received grace, a gift of forgiveness and adoption into the family of God. That this is as real today as it was when they first believed. I get to do that.  If only I would believe it were true for me. And this is the problem many of us face. It’s hard to apply to ourselves a gospel we proclaim to others. How could that be? That’s what I’d like to talk about. If you like what you find here, you can support this on Patreon, or at Substack. Thanks for joining us around Greatheart’s Table. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: The letter from Luther was referenced by Dr. Kelly Kapic in a chapel message at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida. Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

This is part two of the conversation we began last time with Dan, Diana, and Adria from Called to Peace Ministries.  As some of you know, the namesake for this podcast is one Mr. Greatheart, a character from Part Two of John Bunyan’s allegory Pilgrim’s Progress. Mr. Greatheart is a guide, one charged with the responsibility of leading and protecting Christiana (the wife of Christian from Part One) and her children to the Celestial City. He is, that is, a pastor, and the fact that part of his charge was to protect Christiana is an apt truth to consider for this conversation.  We want to fulfill that charge well. I’m grateful for these whose voices help us do that.  We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: For an explanation of the name and intention of these occasional interviews, read this, or listen to it here or here. Called to Peace Ministries Protect the Flock Dan and Shannon Boeck, Rediscovering Christ: A Survivor’s Guide to the True Church Dan and Shannon Boeck, Domestic Abuse and the Dechurched: Are people abandoning the church or is the church abandoning its people? Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed Tyler Staton, Familiar Stranger: (Re)Introducing the Holy Spirit to Those in Search of an Experiential Spirituality C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity  Timothy L. Sanford, I Have to Be Perfect When you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

There are women in our congregations who are suffering under the heavy hand of domestic abuse. Oh, they may not have bruises to show for it, not ones that we can see, anyway. But domestic abuse, or as I’m preferring to call it, coercive control, even when not physical, doing grave damage to sheep under our care. It behooves us to have some insight into how to spot it, and how we might respond without doing harm.  This conversation with three insightful guests, all from Called To Peace Ministries, I think you’ll find, will be invaluable in pointing us all in a direction that will make us, and our churches, better caretakers of hurting women. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: For an explanation of the name and intention of these occasional interviews, read this, or listen to it here or here. Called to Peace Ministries Protect the Flock Dan and Shannon Boeck, Rediscovering Christ: A Survivor’s Guide to the True Church Dan and Shannon Boeck, Domestic Abuse and the Dechurched: Are people abandoning the church or is the church abandoning its people? Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed Tyler Staton, Familiar Stranger: (Re)Introducing the Holy Spirit to Those in Search of an Experiential Spirituality C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity  Timothy L. Sanford, I Have to Be Perfect When you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

Life and pastoring can be exhausting. And that exhaustion grows when we fail to distinguish between ourselves and God. A friend shared with me this week a new song by singer/songwriter Jess Ray called I Am Not God. My screen saver since the beginning of the year is a message: “Relax. You are not the Messiah.” We all are struggling to hold that distinction. God knows our vulnerability to this and our compensating tendency to do too much and never rest and recalibrate. For this, he has given us the gift of sabbath. Too frequently we view the sabbath as rules and shackles. I disagree. Sabbath is an invitation to a feast.  I invite you to join the feast. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

Hello! Welcome to this unusual, audio only, third Monday edition of Greatheart’s Table. This is the third and last of our Rainy Day Conversation with my two friends, Adam and Byron discussing books. And though our initial focus was on pastoral reading habits, all of these conversations apply widely to all Christians.  In this episode we talk about practical matters such as ebooks, audio books, and how to afford books.  We hope in the end, we all are encouraged to read. Thanks for listening, and let me know what you think. If there are topics or interviews that you would like to see here, tell me! Thanks for referring others to this podcast and, you who are able, for supporting us at Patreon. Thanks for joining us around Greatheart’s Table. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: For an explanation of the name and intention of these occasional interviews, read this, or listen to it here or here. Adam’s newsletter Double the Joy can be found here. If you can, I would encourage you to order books from Hearts & Minds Books here. You can also ask questions of them here, or by email or phone, at 717-246-3333. You can check out Byron’s Book Notes posts here. The books below are, where possible, linked to Bookshop.org for ease of reference. If you do order from Bookshop, Greatheart’s Table receives a portion of that sale, for which we are appreciative. As much as was possible, these are noted here in the order they were mentioned in the conversation.  John W. Miller, The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run Bono, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story Alec Macgillis, Fulfillment: America in the Shadow of Amazon Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

Welcome to this third Monday edition of a “Rainy Day Conversation around Greatheart’s Table.”  This episode is a continuation of a conversation that began previously on the reading life of pastors (and other humans). If you missed that first episode you can go back and listen to it first, or you can dive right in now. Either way, we’re glad you have joined us.  As you know, this podcast, and the corresponding Substack newsletter, are both free. They are made possible by those who are able to support Greatheart’s Table through Patreon or through a paid subscription at Substack. Please know that your support helps us keep the lights on, and is deeply appreciated. Thanks to all of you for joining us around Greatheart’s Table. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: For an explanation of the name and intention of these occasional interviews, read this, or listen to it here or here. If you can, I would encourage you to order books from Hearts & Minds Books here. You can also ask questions of them here, or by email or phone, at 717-246-3333. You can check out Byron’s Book Notes posts here. The books below are, where possible, linked to Bookshop.org for ease of reference. If you do order from Bookshop, Greatheart’s Table receives a portion of that sale, for which we are appreciative. As much as was possible, these are noted here in the order they were mentioned in the conversation.  Firewall (The Wallander Series), Henning Mankel The Pastor’s Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry, Austin Carty Reading for Preaching: The Preacher in Conversation with Storytellers, Biographers, Poets, and Journalists, Cornelius Plantinga Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis The Consolation of Philosophy, Ancius Boethius Waiting Isn’t a Waste, Mark Vroegop Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us Out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode–And Into a Life of Connection and Joy, Aundi Kolber Dissoloution (The Matthew Shardlake series), C. J. Sansom On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books, Karen Swallow Prior The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints, Jessica Hooten Wilson Reading Black Books: How African American Literature Can Make Our Faith More Whole and Just, Claude Atcho Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church, Abram Van Engen The Book of Strange New Things, Michel Faber Master and Commander (Aubrey/Maturin novels), Patrick O’Brian The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings), J. R. R. Tolkien Les Miserables, Victor Hugo Rainbows for a Fallen World, Calvin Seerveld Knowing God, J. I. Packer The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction, Eugene Peterson The River Why, David James Duncan The Brothers K, David James Duncan Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton and not mentioned, but a book that was in our minds as we spoke: Reading for Pleasure in an Age of Distraction, Alan Jacobs Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

Hi. Welcome to Greatheart’s Table, a podcast for pastors and those who care for them. Actually, I’ve found that many more than pastors have an interest in what we talk about here. So please pass this on to others, whether they are pastors or not. Certainly, the subject of this episode—the intersection of sexual fidelity and power—is relevant far beyond the role of pastor.  The incidence of another high profile Christian leader having an affair awakens us once again to the target the devil has placed on our backs.  Or should it? I have reason here to question that image.  Perhaps its not the devil’s so-called target that should concern us, but our own lack of awareness of the vulnerability of power. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: Ronald Heifetz and Martin Linsky, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change, (United States: Harvard Business Review Press, 2017). When you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

I’m delighted to have you joining us around Greatheart’s Table.  Who are “us?” Many of us are pastors, doing what we believe, or once believed, God has called us to do. Many of us are not, but find that the realities that pastors face, realities addressed here, are true across many life situations.  Many callings, including that of the pastor, involve drudgery, and sometimes difficult times of conflict. Instead of becoming Habakkuk’s contented deer on high places, we want to run, to flee, to find any other thing to do but this.  It’s into this world, once again, I am inviting fellow pastor Adam Tisdale, to speak a word of joy. I hope you find encouragement here to remember why you do what you do. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: Adam’s Substack Double the Joy Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another “Rainy Day Conversation around Greatheart’s Table.” Unlike the short content that is normal for this space, in these conversations I invite other voices to share their observations and expertise regarding pastoral practice, ministry, or the Christian life in general.  These have been fun to produce, and they have introduced me to a number of people who care about pastors and ministry, and who want to share their heart with others. This conversation proved to be so rich that we’ll be releasing it in digestible segments over multiple podcasts. I’ll explain this at the end. If you aren’t already a print subscriber, I encourage you to become one at Substack. Please encourage others to listen in. And as always, thanks for joining us around Greatheart’s Table. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: For an explanation of the name and intention of these occasional interviews, read this, or listen to it here or here. If you can, I would encourage you to order books from Hearts & Minds Books here. You can also ask questions of them here, or by email or phone, at 717-246-3333. You can check out Byron’s Book Notes posts here. The books below are linked, where possible, to Bookshop.org for ease of reference. If you do order from Bookshop, Greatheart’s Table receives a portion of that sale, for which we are appreciative. As much as was possible, these are noted here in the order they were mentioned in the conversation.  Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges Waiting Isn’t a Waste, Mark Vroegop The Pastor’s Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry, Austin Carty Pachinko, Min Jin Lee The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley Summerland, Michael Chabon Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy, Mary W. McCampbell Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

If you’ve listened to the previous two reset episodes from January, 2022, you know that I have issues with the expectations that American corporate leadership culture has placed upon pastors. Some fit easily within the roles defined for them, they become growth visionaries and ministry strategists. As my dad, a carpenter used to say, “they fit like they growed there.”  But many of us don’t fit. Not in the way we are supposed to.  And that is okay. I want to free us from those expectations. But once freed, what then?  In this episode I invite pastors to dream. Freed from the cultural expectations what might your vision, your real, deep, heartfelt vision for ministry be? That will be what will make your heart flourish in ministry. Let’s consider that. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: Harrison Scott Key, Congratulations, Who Are You Again?: A Memoir, (United States: Harper Perennial, 2018), p. 87. When you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

I know that though I write with pastors in mind, not all of you are pastors. I’m actually glad for that, and particularly as we address the idea of just what the pastor is to be. I’m concerned about the expectations that churches place on pastors that turn them into more strategist than shepherd.  This is the second of three resets from January 2022. Were I to write it today, there would be much to add, but little to change. I’d love to know what you think.  Thanks for listening, for reviewing, and referring Greatheart’s Table. This is the only way this will be heard above the cacophony of the internet. I’m grateful for your support, and for your presence.  We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

Pastors, I think you would agree, are not a monolithic set. They come in all shapes and sizes. They have different gifts, different personalities, different reasons for being. But though this is true, too often only one variety of pastor is valued. And that is a shame, and a hard pill to swallow for many pastors who are serving the church well, but who do not fit the valued model. In this, the first of three resets that first were released in early 2022, I want to explore ideas that swirl around pastoral self identity. First, we consider the visionary. Please rate, review, and refer Greatheart’s Table, and if you can support us at Patreon dot com. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/354846-the-rancher-shepherd-divide.html https://www.mecklenburg.org/senior-pastor Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

With this episode I’m joined again by Dr. Trey Martin as we conclude the conversation we began previously on the subject of idolatry and our lives lived before the only true and living God. There are things that can threaten the devotion we have to God, things that can become larger to us than they should In the first portion of this conversation, Dr. Martin helped us understand some definitions and biblical background surrounding idolatry, and in this second part we will begin to address some questions about how this is worked our in real life and ministry.  If you’ve not listened to the first portion of this conversation, I encourage you to do so. One of the things that Dr. Martin did in that episode was to help us distinguish between real and metaphorical idols, and to see how metaphorical idols can be as damaging, if not more so, than physical ones.  But here, now, we begin to turn the conversation away from the theoretical and more to the practical. We’ll pick up the conversation with a question that moves us in that direction. We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: For an explanation of the name and intention of these occasional interviews, read this, or listen to it here or here. Dr. Trey Martin  The article that stimulated this conversation: A COUNTERFEIT IDOL: RESIGNATION AND FAITH IN TIMOTHY KELLER’S COUNTERFEIT GODS, by Dr. Trey Martin. Used by the kind permission from Covenant Theological Seminary. For information about the academic-pastoral journal Presbyterion, go to https://www.covenantseminary.edu/publications. Timothy Keller, The Reason for God Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ When you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.

When I was a kid, I was taught not to cuss. It was a tricky feat for someone given to frustration and anger, and so I found a loophole by saying, “I don’t mean to cuss, but . . .” and then saying whatever had come to mind.  I’ve been wondering recently how many times I, inadvertently, cuss, or curse, from the pulpit. I don’t mean in the style of Die Hard’s John McLain. I’m thinking of a more insidious, and unhelpful, accidental cursing. That’s what I want to explore and I’m grateful that you trust me enough to tag along.  If you can, please rate, review, and refer Greatheart’s Table and subscribe to the print version at Substack.com. Now, about that cursing . . . . We encourage you to also subscribe to our newsletter where, on third Mondays and at other times there may be additional content. You can do so here. You can help support this podcast by supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here. EPISODE NOTES Notes and resources relevant to this episode: Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,rising early in the morning,will be counted as cursing. (Proverbs 27:14) Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor, (United States: Eerdmans Publishing, 1993). When you buy a book using a link on this page, Greatheart’s Table receives a commission. Thank you for supporting this work! ChargeDownload Podcast music provided by Cool Hand Luke and used with permission.Intro: “Holy Vanguard” / LyricsOutro: “Wonder Tour” / Lyrics / Video To find our more about Greatheart’s Table, visit us here.